LONG REACH resident Lt. Col. William S. Pachura, U.S. Air Force, retired, was honored at a reunion in Texas last month.
But this reunion, May 28, was a little different than most - the retired fighter pilot was reunited with the plane he flew on 129 combat missions during the Vietnam War.
Only about 200 of the 833 F-105s produced - the type of plane Pachura flew - survived the war, he said. Many of the pilots did not make it either. But this plane and this pilot survived.
Pachura is described as modest and quiet by family members. He does not talk much about the danger he faced and the risks he took almost daily for nine months in 1968, while flying over Vietnam's Red River into enemy territory in Hanoi, said Clark Wiens, his brother-in-law.
Pachura's medals include two Distinguished Flying Crosses, awarded "for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight," according to the official certificate. And he has 15 Air Medals, for "single acts of heroism or meritorious achievements while participating in aerial flight," as well as an Air Force Commendation Medal for "meritorious achievement and service." The medals are described on an Air Force Web site.
The reunion at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio - where the plane Pachura called the "Red River Queen" is now used for security training - was filled with pomp and circumstance.
Pachura, his wife, Jody (a nickname for Joan), and family members were escorted through the base by a convoy of vehicles. In the procession were the Pachuras' children - Paul Pachura of Owen Brown, Mary Vaerewyck of Pittsburgh, Martha Hull and her husband, Scott, of Long Reach and grandchildren Shannon Hull, 9, and Erin Hull, 5. Jody's brother, Clark Wiens, his wife, Michelle, and their daughter, Carrie, of Oklahoma also were there.
They were led by a military police car and trailed by a Humvee.
"When we came over the hill, it was incredible," said Clark Wiens, who located the plane.
Thirty airmen lining each side of the road saluted simultaneously.
Pachura was greeted by the 37th Training Wing Support Group commander, officials from the Air Force base and representatives from the Red River Valley Pilots Association, an organization of retired fighter pilots.
The base honor guard presented colors; the U.S. flag and the Air Force flag were dipped in Pachura's honor. After a rifle presentation, Pachura received a plaque of appreciation for his service and a 37th Training Wing coin.
"He was a war hero who finally got the recognition he deserved," Clark Wiens said. "There was not a lot of cheering and celebration in 1968."
"I was 10 when my dad returned from Vietnam," Paul Pachura said. "I didn't realize how bad it was.
"I thought everyone came back with all those medals," he added. "After talking to other veterans - one was a POW - I'm relieved to think he came back at all."
The plane was located through a book Scott Hull gave William Pachura for a birthday present in early May: Roll Call Thud - A Photographic Record of the Republic F-105 Thunderchiefs by John M. Campbell and Michael Hill. The authors listed each of the planes, what happened to them and their pilots. Pachura's plane was listed as being at a facility of the Kansas National Guard.
Clark Wiens saw the book on a visit with the family, and the wheels started turning. When he discovered the plane was no longer in Kansas, he called the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.
"They called me back the same day," Wiens said. "I had tears in my eyes when they told me they found the plane."
Planes are renamed with each pilot, but the tail number remains constant. The planes can be tracked by that number.
"We thought we would just go see the plane," Pachura said. "We had no idea they would do all this."
"When we found out he would be here, we wanted to make it as special as we could," said Staff Sgt. Michelle Jordan, who co- ordinated the event with Tech Sgt. Jeffrey Jones. "We did it because we wanted to give something back to a man that did a lot in his career," Jordan said.
The plane was repainted and rededicated with Pachura's name and Red River Queen once again adorning it.
"I appreciated what he did and the standards he set for us," Jordan said. "This was a good opportunity to say thank you."
William and Jody Pachura have lived in Long Reach for 24 years. They have another son - David Pachura, who lives in Lexington Park - and five other grandchildren.
Physically fit
On June 8, Carin Miller, assistant manager at Synergy - The Future of Fitness for Women, finished fifth in the nation's capital regionals of the Fitness America Pageant, held in Bowie.
Contestants were judged on their physique, tone and poise during a physique round. Then they were judged again for overall fitness during a two-minute choreographed routine that included aerobics and poses, Miller said.
The Long Reach health club employee will go to the nationals, in November in Redondo Beach, Calif.